✍️📚🍁Super Kid Lit Review Post + all videos showing inside
I give 5+ to books that make me: return to them non stop, speak of them non stop, I can see it change someone's life and perception growing, makes me want to read or see the backlog of author or illustrators.
Penguin Huddle
5+ 🌟
Aw. This is such a great story. For an easy comp titles it is a zootopia/sing-ish kind of world where diversity and caricature personalities come through with animal characters. (For example: the octopus, a super clever animal is the doctor)
Very whimsical and fun fiction learning and getting the message through metaphors.
I adore the interpretation of the illustrator adding humor and detail to each page making it fun to search for new things on the page. Ah, ah, magpies' jewelry lol cause they do like shiny things. Flaming dance, very clever!
This is a book that could easily be a picture book as well not just limiting it to the young-age board book niche.
The message: I saw this in a different way maybe.... to me it's about getting unstuck from a situation and finding the solution closer to home and to oneself rather than going through so many loops trying to find a shortcut and finding your own (right) people. (This is going to depend on the readers' current life situation and experience. For some it can be that birds of the same feather flock together or it's nicer to be with those we feel comfortable with- our niche, our found family or always getting a safe haven for support and love, cooperation, building our own community.)
Our Favorite Day of the Week
4.5 stars
Great message, or should I say several messages: there are many many reasons to make each day our favorite and special, we need to pay attention to what happens around us, but also to the little things we want to be part of our lives. I used to have one favorite day, after reading this book, I realized I have many more. Culturally rich also.
The Uncles (crying here)
5 stars
Uau this one was heartbreaking and I don't even know what to say . Grief but also family, love and memory.
Bizzy Bear It's Bedtime (Releases Oct 13 - interactive sliders)
5 stars 🌟
Fabulous interactive series. It's so well done. The parts that activate are very well designed into the illustration and story as well and they don't stick out of the book.
Rhyme simple text, where the image prevails.
The entire series has interesting themes and they approach it in a simple way but relatable. This one is about bedtime rituals and I love the extra layers of the detailed illustration. For example, on the page of brushing teeth: not only do we have bathtub toys, there are always extra things to explore: what color is his/our/ toothbrushehat's on the sink? What's inn the basket, Colors, shapes. How different or same is our daily routine or bathroom compared to Bizzy Bear. Also I like that his name reminds me that he is busy and always has things to do, check on the list. Going to check out the other titles too.
Lil Lizzo
4.5 so playful. Little one is sad she doesn't find a place to belong. Lizzy tries all but she is feeling more lost than ever. Then she finds her voice in a flute. Do not underestimate the power of a flute (check out the QR code at the end of this book i was surprised by the powerful orchestral sample, not a kiddy song at all but also what a kid's song should sound like: to motivate and empower.) Fun characters.
Day Shift Night Shift
3.5 stars
Creative new idea as an homage to the workers who get to it while we get to bed. (Representation) We often forget about the night shift keeping the world turning. But that is second. It's mostly about problem-solving and being creative in a scientific way. STEM application and motivation.
Plus perfect for train and miniature train fans.
Here Comes The Band
5 stars
Stunning work of art, to some it will bring the nostalgia of University marching Bands, for others, it's a parade of excitement and life that the artist captured perfectly. Tradition and culture: there is so much that goes into making it work together, from choreography to music. Inspiring.
The cover title looks embroidery I keep touching it to make sure it's not fabric.
Big Book of Words Bizzy Bear
5 stars
I love Bizzy Bears. When I want an interactive book. I start searching for this Bears catalogue because the publisher always makes the interactive flaps fun. This is a very big (somewhat heavy) but sturdy book. Has a lot of themes and vocabulary, and on each page ads flip the flap surprises. I love searching for new details.
Los Momokins en la Nieve
5 🌟
Clever illustrations and story told in the narrative of a little one recounting events. And then... and then... and then...
If you already know these characters then you know they have fun designs, big eyes & expressions. In this one they show against the clear/decluttering background of serene, quiet winter setting, ahahah that's the cover showing the outdoors then insidoors with double page is a festival of colors, with winter clothes and fun, then back to the opposite of the outsdoors of cold winter serenity. Winter activities, friends (animals) and mishaps. Fun Winter day.
I read a Spanish version so I could learn vocabulary.
The Ribbon (releases soon)
5 stars
Books on building confidence are one of my favorites, they are inspiring, and when they join with an artistic aspect, they are the best.
I relate to this one. I used to do this: carry an object that was relevant to me, a small superstition that made me confident to take action. I love that she realizes that it was inside of her all along and ready to pass on. That last bit is gorgeous.
The art is fluid and sketchy it's like a French animation. Love it.
Horizontal Crocodile
5 stars
Ahah! I did not expect that plot twist laughed a lot at the end. What a mess, what a journey, to make it all work out great for his friend's visit, but... sometimes a chance is a good chance, and we embrace it. Great metaphor that can be used for any great changes in life (small too) and to embrace it and be a friend. Acceptance. Fantastic artwork and play with the design of the horizontally of the book.
Pout-Pout Fish
5 🌟
Love this classic. Sometimes it only takes one kind gesture to turn our world around. We should be kind too. I always refer to this book when I want to check for pretty different designs for pages, not just one simple design repeating. Well done. Includes a note from the author regarding consent.
Alight
5 stars
What a unique book. We had no idea how complex and sad the story of urban parrots was. Some things we take for granted and don't stop to question, but it makes sense that our presence (humans) affects a lot of changes in the animal kingdom and forces them to quickly adapt.
Well done. Wonderful illustrations and lots of info at the end.
Plátanos are love
5 stars
Fabulous. An homage to heritage, culture, ancestry, and plátanos: the relevance of the fruit to a people and culture. How to eat them as well. Very beautiful artwork, pages, characters, and well designed with the story. Includes a glossary with lots of vocabulary + recipe.
P.s now I m hungry.
Lá Bandera
5+ One of the most beautiful illustrated and cultural books I read this year. Each page is breathtaking, not only for the information in the preface, which explains Porto Rico is considered part of the USA to serve but not to vote.
The powerful symbol of the flag and the real story make this an educational book that should be in any school library or home.
Written as poetry.
Eye Spy... farm
4 stars
Super simple, not overwhelming play of guessing which farm animal.will show on the next page until we see the mirror and ourselves. The font is playful, great for addressing vocabulary for colors, shapes, animals, big and small, and animal sounds. Fun and playful
5 minute maisy stories
4 + half 4.5 starts for the content format, imagine an anthology of board books compiled in a large format high quality resistant book. It's a bit heavy, which makes it hard for very young readers to handle, but the large illustrations and simple, huge sentences make for an appealing read. A good book for library and classroom environments, for the size and vivid colors
Hooray For Treeborhood
4 stars
Great for fans of these characters. Short and easy to understand. Like an episode. In this one, JunJun needs some help building self-confidence. They help him with poses, breathing exercises, working together, and the community. Big illustrations and fun characters. Kinda like a mix between picture book and graphic novel.
Guess How Much I Love You Out and About in 100 Words
5+
This is my favorite because of the format, we can see the cuts for each page, each double page is a different theme, the book is large, lots of vocabulary, amazing classic illustrations, plus a continuous story.
The Greatest Project In Sapace
5+ Super detailed well designed book introducing the Space Station origin and successes to the reader. I didn't know it circled the Earth everybody Ninety minutes. Very educational and touches on a lot of subjects, like its future and space garbage (for our future as well).
My only remark is that some of the blue text on dark backgrounds gets a bit harder to see because it has low contrast.
My favorite page is the astronaut double page in vertical view.
One Fine Day
4.5 🌟
Ok, it's a fart joke and not. I usually dislike when books focus on it but in this case it could have been some other awkward situation, the thing is, it wouldn't have been visually that fun and hard to explain why,y randomly, one character would make a funny face instantly.
The humor is that in the moment of most tension that could get into a nasty fight and they could be angry at each other, something disrupts that moment, leading to humor, good spirits, and dismantling the aggression and hostility. There is a lot of humor because the book is entirely super bucolic and nature and amazing landscapes, and doing something they like on their own in that moment. I loved the artwork and smiled at the climax.
Lesson: if you can throw humor in the middle of a big fight, it may be what the other person needs. Humor. Not a fart.
My opinions are my own and sometimes to the detriment of some relationships.
Dia De Muertos
4 5 stars
It's that time of the year and I've been looking into Dia de Muertos books. This one is a very simple, 4.5 stars with the highlights of the cultural event, but with focus on papel picado which I haven't seen in the other books I looked. The papel picado is presented as a flip the flap interactive activity that reveals more themed images and elements for the season. Awesome vivid colors
Lots of vocabulary for the season too Being a board book, it does not include a how-to activity at the end of the book. More of a presentation, with the activity being flipping all the flaps to discover more.
Too many Tias
4 stars
Eheh! When the child thinks her family is a perfect Latina culture fiesta of movement, party, talking, communicating but all she needs is quiet and some me time. Perfectly relatable, if you are like this, you'll get it. Beautiful artwork. Sometimes nature and imagination are perfect worlds.
A festa for Luana
5 stars
So good to see more and more Brazilian titles join the latinx catalogue of USA publishers. Although I am from. Portugal, not Brazil, it is good to see the vocabulary, cultural representation, traditions, and carnaval explosions of color.
Adoro bolo de fuga glad of has recipes for cake at the end. Connecting to the family of both generations and cultures, American and Brazilian.
Tiny T. Rex and the Itty Bitty Bun Bun
4 🌟
Very sweet, with the Easter activities for USA readers, and the play with the hide-and-seek Easter eggs and Easter bunnies, with the main character not wanting to ever hide his love for his parents. It's a good Easter take on this character when we are super fans of Tiny Rex.
Design helps us explore shapes, colors, before and after, numbers, patterns, good font choice, simple and not cluttered. My fav page is the one where they are decorating the eggs. In the end, we get motivated to make our Easter baskets as well.
I think I saw Santa
4 stars
So sweet. The kids follow the clues to find Santa by the lake, getting ready for Christmas night. Keeping the iconic Santa figure spirit alive. My favorite part was the anxious girl who immediately freaks out: why is he relaxed when the big night is here?
Charlie Brown Edition Easter
5 stars
I love these interactive ones. Loved the Letters to Snoopy too.
In this one, they all write to the Great Pumpkin, their wishes, more like venting about each other ahahah. The letters are inside the envelope, and there is a lot of text for a board book this size. I like that art. I like to keep these in my purse to read whenever I am bored outside.
This edition doesn't have a sponge inside the cover, but some Peanuts books do.
We should write a letter to the Great Pumpkin too. 🎃
Another Charlie Brown I already reviewed early this year - Deluxe version
On The Day You Were Born
3 stars
A classic from the 90s that is still powerful. There is nothing wrong with this book it's a personal style preference. The book is more for design and minimalistic art style fans. On its own, each illustration is a great artwork, and the message is wonderful: we are a speck of light, a grain of sand, part of this world. Perfect to celebrate the birth of a child or to remind us that the world is larger than sometimes the cages inside our minds. Has at the end extensive information for each artwork it's what I define as a picture book for adults
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